Ever wondered what it would be like to see F1 cars blazing around the streets of Manchester at 200mph?

Admittedly it's something of a pipe dream at the moment, but this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, the first race of the F1 season, takes place on the street circuit in Melbourne - a city not dissimilar in size to our own.

And it's not so long ago ( 2011 to be exact ) that Jenson Button's McLaren roared along Deansgate and performed doughnut spins in Albert Square, as seen in the video below, proving it can be done.

Video Loading

Video Unavailable

Click to playTap to play

The video will start in 8Cancel

Play now

So if Bernie Ecclestone, Sir Richard Leese and Pat Karney got their heads together to create a Manchester Grand Prix, where would the track go?

We've taken a (tongue-in-cheek) look at some of the spots around the city that would make Manchester's F1 race one to remember.

Deansgate:

Deansgate (Image: Google)

Seems like the obvious choice for the start-finish straight, running like an arrow through the heart of the city centre for just over a mile. The fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt , has sprinted down it, so why not the fastest cars?

Comes with the added bonus of having a ready-made and almost endless supply of champagne to be sprayed liberally/wastefully from the winner's podium, courtesy of Spinningfields' swankiest bars.

Albert Square:

Traditionally the main gathering place for any kind of Manc celebration, it would be rude not to make Albert Square a focal point of the track. It's a bit tight around there, but hey, these guys can drive around the narrow Monaco roads at stupid speeds.

Obviously not to be considered if the race was in November/December - we don't care how big a deal F1 is, it's not going to boot out the Christmas Markets for fear of a Mancunian uprising.

Mancunian Way:

However, we can see the positives in this deep problem. Where better than the hole to put the track's tight chicane, making Lewis and co put their skills to the test trying to twist and turn to avoid plunging 15 feet into the sewer below?

Piccadilly Gardens:

OK, strictly speaking, there isn't much road here. But if you want an F1 track, you need a lot of concrete and a hard surface to race cars on, and there is more of that in Piccadilly Gardens than almost anywhere else on the planet, so we might as well use it.

The M60:

We jest, obviously. But the ring-road motorway would bring the event to fans in all corners of Greater Manchester.

Plus, the astronomical cost of staging a Grand Prix could be recouped in a matter of minutes if the racers' route takes them through the 'smart motorway' speed cameras .

Belle Vue:

A bit left-field this, but what would be a truer test of an F1 driver's ability but to do a lap of Manchester motorsport's traditional home of Belle Vue?

The opening night of the new National Speedway Stadium didn't go too well, admittedly. But when it's up and running what a sight it would be to see Ferraris and Mercedes slipping and sliding around at Kirkmanshulme Lane like the stock cars.